


Flirting

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-04-30 13:06:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5164907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louisa helps Lisa repay her debt to the Sleeping Widow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flirting

What the Widow wanted them to do seemed impossible. How could two girls (albeit two girls with magical powers) possibly enable a tree to grow its roots across the bay?

But it would seem ungrateful to refuse her.

“How are we possibly going to manage this?” Lisa asked, running a hand through her hair.

“Maybe Linda has some ideas?” Louisa suggested, dropping her eyes when she realised she was staring. She settled for stroking Smokeeye’s mane instead, to keep her hands busy.

“That’s likely. Let’s go ask her. I’ll meet you back at the manor.” Lisa seemed a lot happier today. Although she’d looked slightly shaken when she’d emerged near the Widow to meet Louisa, she looked a whole lot better now.

_“You should say something to her,”_ Smokeeye suggested as they rode along behind Lisa. _“Something not related to what you’re doing now. Just tell her you like her, don’t be shy.”_

_“Oh yeah, will you tell Starshine that you like him?”_ Louisa replied. _“I see the way you look at him.”_

Smokeeye snorted. _“Well, it’s not every day that you see an albino. And just look at him now, he’s so happy to see Lisa. Complicating that with feelings would just be rude.”_

_“And I don’t want to make Lisa feel uncomfortable,”_ said Louisa. _“Besides, it would feel like rubbing it in Alex’s face. No, I want to wait until we free Anne. At least we know where she is now.”_

_“Excuses, excuses,”_ said Smokeeye. _“Don’t make me push the two of you together like Herbie.”_

_“Was dad watching that again?”_ Louisa asked. _“Which one?”_

_“The one with Lindsay Lohan in it. And yes, he watched it this morning while he was waiting for his fishing buddy to show up. I watched it through the window until he let me in,”_ Smokeeye explained.

“It feels good to talk to your horse, doesn’t it?” Lisa asked. She’d slowed down and now rode beside Louisa.

_“How long has she been there?”_ Louisa asked, feeling her heart flutter.

_“Not long,”_ said Smokeeye.

“Yeah, it does,” Louisa finally replied. “When your friends are all busy, or even just when you wanna talk to someone without words, it’s great to have a chat with my horse.”

“Their personality is so different than you’d expect, too,” said Lisa. “I expected Smokeeye to be more sultry but she almost sounds like that quirky friend.”

“I did too,” Louisa confessed. “She’s great to talk to, though. And she’s always giving advice.”

“Oh yeah?” Lisa asked. “Like what?”

“Mostly romantic,” said Louisa, trying not to show how much her heart was pounding. The blush was hard to hide, even behind her long brown hair. “She does have a kind of sultriness about her, it’s just not exactly obvious.”

“Speaking of romance, Alex seems a whole lot happier now that she knows where Anne is,” said Lisa. “Last night after you left, we all had a talk. I didn’t know she was missing her that much but that girl can hide a lot of pain.”

“Linda’s known for a while,” said Louisa. “She’s a night owl so sneaking outside to cry at night doesn’t really get past her.”

“When Anne first disappeared, Alex was a wreck,” Lisa remembered. “We had to stop her from going out and taking on Garnok himself. Not that I blame her after what I went through.”

“Well, you don’t really show it,” said Louisa. “You’re still as pretty as the day you went missing, I’m sure.”

“Finally,” Smokeeye said with a sigh. “I thought you’d never say it.”

“Thanks,” said Lisa. “You’re not so bad-looking yourself.”

Smokeeye paused for a moment to dance on the spot in happiness, then continued on with an extra skip in her step.

“Alex also told me that you think I’m hot,” said Lisa.

“Those aren’t the words I used,” said Louisa. Her hair felt like it had just been straightened where it touched her face. “I said that I think you’re-“

“Sexy,” Smokeeye supplied. “Oh come on, you can call me sexy but not her? Rude.”

“Now you probably think I’m weird,” said Louisa with a sigh. “Ugh, I always come on weird when I like someone. I even get tongue-tied around Johanna.”

“To be fair, she is a beauty,” said Lisa. “And I don’t think you’re weird. Even I would’ve called your horse sexy.”

“What am I, an object?” Smokeeye asked with a dramatic toss of her mane.

“All Andalusians are sexy but you are among the best-looking,” Starshine supplied.

That stopped the teasing, at least for a little while.

“At least our horses like each other,” said Lisa. “Concorde can’t stand Tin Can.”

“Unlike their riders,” said Louisa. She smiled and continued smiling all the way up to the manor.

“I can play the harp, I usually play the guitar and it’s a bit different but I’ll manage. I’m good with my fingers,” Lisa decided after another study session with Linda, and Louisa was positive that she was looking directly at her on purpose. Her thoughts were confirmed when Lisa winked at her, and she responded by blushing again.

After staying the night while Godfrey readied the car, Louisa sat on the backseat between Linda and Lisa. Despite the roominess, Lisa leaned ever-so-slightly on Louisa’s shoulder, which was thrilling.

On the long drive into the city, Louisa read over Linda’s shoulder. She knew that Linda was slowing down slightly for her to read, but she just thanked her for the kindness. And when Lisa fell asleep on her shoulder, she couldn’t stop grinning.

Louisa felt a lot like a queen with her entourage as she walked into the museum with Lisa on one side and Linda on the other. Especially given the fact that the museum was open exclusively for her.

She didn’t mind inventorying the items, not after the favour that the museum’s curator had extended to her. Besides, seeing the priceless artefacts sent a thrill through her.

“It’s amazing,” she marvelled as her fingers traced the air around a precious vase. “This is so old but I’m sure it’s of so much importance to historians.”

“Ah, a history buff,” said the curator with a smile. “Such a good thing to see in the young.”

“I love history,” said Louisa, grinning back at him. “Learning about ancient civilisations is so cool. And when new discoveries are made, we learn so much about the past. Especially when it’s beautifully preserved.”

“And then historians write it down in books for us to read about,” Linda added. “It can be dry sometimes but it’s still so much information.”

“Compared to some of the ancients, modern historians are pretty boring,” said Louisa as she dug into another box and unearthed what they’d been looking for. “Give me the old guys any day.”

“Is that the harp?” Lisa asked. “If it is, we should take it and go.”

“She’s just eager to get back to Starshine,” said Linda. “You can keep finding old artefacts, Louisa.”

“Oh, I intend to,” Louisa assured her. “Don’t worry, Lisa, just a few more boxes.”

Louisa kept true to her word and, after unearthing the last artefacts and writing down what they were, she picked up the harp and brought it to Lisa. It thrummed with magical energy, but that was nothing compared to the thrill that Louisa felt when Lisa’s hand brushed hers as she took the harp from her.

“Be careful with it, and be sure to return it as soon as you’re done,” the museum curator instructed them. “It’s a priceless artefact.”

“We will,” Louisa promised him. She thought it best not to mention what they were planning on doing with the harp. He might not believe in its mythical properties.

Once they were back at the manor, all three girls immediately returned to their ‘proper’ places atop their horses. Louisa happily stroked Smokeeye’s mane, while Lisa silently conversed with Starshine.

“Anything happen while I was gone?” Louisa asked.

_“Alex gave us her blessing to pursue our romantic interests,”_ Smokeeye reported. _“She doesn’t want you to miss out on happiness just because her girlfriend is trapped in Pandoria. Besides, if she can stand the grossly romantic couple running the café here, she can more than stand the two of you fumbling around in a new relationship.”_

“Thanks, Alex,” said Louisa. “You know what for.”

“Well, if Anne found out that I was stopping people from going after love just because I’m upset, she’d probably hit me. And that girl can hit hard.” Her smile twisted into something bittersweet, and then she trotted away from the others.

“I don’t know whether or not I should go after her,” said Linda. “I kind of don’t feel like having my ribs crushed today. But then again, she is my friend so I’ll put up with it.” With that, she followed after her friend.

“If we want to capture Aideen’s song, we should probably go to bed early so we can be up before dawn,” Lisa suggested, finally looking at Louisa. “You should stay here tonight, too. Or maybe it’d be better to stay at Firgrove, that way we’ll be closer to where we have to get to. I’ve gotta warn you, though, it’s a steep climb.”

“Smokeeye can manage it,” Louisa assured her. “She’s got really steady feet. We’ll spend the night here and get someone to drive us over to Firgrove in the morning. The drive might give me time to wake up.”

“Okay, I trust your judgement,” said Lisa. “Be back here early tonight, we’ve got a long day tomorrow. Maybe we’ll even walk on water, if this harp works the way it should.”

“Let’s hope it does,” said Louisa. “I’ll see you tonight.”

After Louisa had ridden off, Lisa went off in search of Linda. She found her around the back of the manor, sitting somewhat awkwardly on Meteor’s back and wincing.

“Did she break any ribs?” Lisa asked, holding out a hand glowing with magic.

“I don’t know. Maybe cracked a few,” said Linda, and winced again when she moved. “Better heal them just to be safe.”

“You know,” said Lisa as she ran her hand over Linda’s ribs, “I’m surprised Louisa doesn’t like you like that, considering you’re both bookworms and complete nerds.”

“I think she did, for a while,” said Linda. “When we were researching how to free you, she seemed really goofy with love. But then the day she came back after freeing you, she looked like she’d seen the face of love.”

“And it was me,” said Lisa with a laugh. “My fans look at me like that all the time, but none of them really get me. I feel like Louisa does.”

“That explains the flirting,” said Linda triumphantly. “She does look pretty cute when she’s interested in something, doesn’t she? Her eyes light up and she has this little smile on her face.”

“Hey, don’t make me compete with you,” said Lisa, frowning but then laughing. 

“What’s the competition? The girl adores you,” Linda assured her. “Go after her and you’ll probably be a couple by this time tomorrow.”

“I wish getting my girl back was that easy.” Alex had appeared while they’d been talking, leaning against Tin Can. She was keeping her weight off one foot, which Lisa quickly remedied with a spell.

“Did you kick the manor again?” Lisa frowned at her.

“No,” said Alex with a scoff. “I was running up to hurl lightning at some trees and I forgot that there was a big drop beneath the bridge.”

“That’s where I found her,” said Linda. “I just followed the sound of crying. And my bond with her, of course.”

“I’m surprised you don’t have any other injuries,” said Lisa. “A fall from that height, and to only hurt your foot?”

“Notice that I’m still leaning on my pony,” said Alex. “Also notice that I never say when I’m hurt. Tin Can don’t you dare move-” Without the support of her pony, Alex crashed to the ground with a muffled ‘ow’.

“You are so lucky I can heal wounds without having to clean them first,” said Lisa, frowning in concern over the many cuts and scrapes bleeding through the back of Alex’s shirt.

“I landed on a tree,” said Alex into the ground. “The tree broke my fall and I broke the tree.”

“She’s also lucky that she wasn’t impaled,” said Linda. “I’m not going to compare that to heartbreak in any way.”

“Good,” said Lisa. “Because that would be the worst thing to say.” With the various injuries in Alex’s back healed, she swept her magic over her one more time just to be safe and then got to her feet.

“I’m tired,” Alex declared, rising unsteadily to her feet. “I probably lost a lot of blood. And I’m still kind of down. I’m going to bed. C’mon, Tin Can.”

Lisa watched her walk away, feeling kind of torn.

“Go after her but maybe keep it private,” said Linda. “If Alex doesn’t see it or hear about it too much, she won’t feel so bad. Also maybe don’t go to any of the places that Alex went with Anne.”

“They went everywhere,” Lisa reminded her.

“And Louisa is a country girl,” Linda reminded her in turn. “She’ll find some great places to take you. Or know some great places.”

“You’re right,” said Lisa. “We’ll figure something out. Although sneaking around kind of feels like it’s copying what Alex and Anne used to do.”

“Stop finding excuses and just do it,” said Linda with a laugh. 

Lisa took Linda’s advice. The next morning, she spent the long drive to Firgrove wondering just how she was going to make her move. Anything would work on the girl, but it had to be just right. Maybe the direct approach was best. But she wasn’t going to ask her out or suddenly kiss her in front of a complete stranger.

“You might’ve been right about taking another horse,” Louisa admitted after Smokeeye slipped on the steep slope for the third time.

“Do you have a fjord?” Lisa asked. “They’re good at maintaining their footing on slippery surfaces.”

“No, the Kallters don’t trust me enough yet to sell horses to me,” said Louisa with a sigh. “I really want one, though. I see all these other girls riding around on their fjords.”

“You’ll get there someday,” Lisa assured her. “And in the meantime, it’s a good excuse to keep going back there.”

“It’s absolutely freezing in there but that’s part of its beauty,” said Louisa. “It’s kind of cold now, too.”

“I’d offer you my jacket but you have to get up here first,” Lisa offered. “Come on, you can do it.”

“Do it for the jacket, Smokeeye,” Louisa urged her tired mare.

“We can share our body heat if you keep up,” Starshine added.

“Oh, come on, why do you do things for love but not for any other reason?” Louisa complained as that comment urged her mare into speeding up her pace.

Finally, they stood on the ledge overlooking the slowly lightening countryside. Louisa still shivered despite the added warmth of Lisa’s jacket, but it was more from the early hour than the cold.

“You can go back to sleep if you want,” said Lisa. “I’ll wake you when dawn begins.”

“I want to watch the sunrise,” said Louisa. “I love watching it. Although usually it means that I’ve stayed up way too late reading.”

“I can’t count how many times Linda’s done that,” said Lisa with a giggle. “She just gets so caught up in a book and before she knows what’s happened, the sun’s rising. Then she sleeps in until sometime in the afternoon.”

“Same,” Louisa agreed with a yawn. “I should’ve had an extra spoonful of coffee powder in my drink this morning.”

“Tell you what, after we do this I’ll take you to the café in Firgrove and get you another one,” Lisa offered.

“That’d be nice,” said Louisa in a voice that was just verging on squeaky. Her blush warmed her up, at least.

Though she tried to stay awake, Louisa soon drifted off to sleep in her saddle. Lisa let her use her shoulder as a pillow. It was only polite to do so after falling asleep on her in the car yesterday.

Soon, though, the sun finally completed its ascent and a tune drifted in on the breeze. Lisa had heard it before, of course, having sought it out as soon as she’d heard about it. A magical music had to be fake. But it was real, and it was beautiful.

“Wake up, it’s dawn,” she said quietly, shaking Louisa awake. The other girl blinked sleepily at her, still too muzzy from sleep to be embarrassed at her position. And then it dawned on her and she blushed, sitting up properly again.

“Okay, time to catch this song,” she said. “I don’t have a recorder with me and something tells me that it wouldn’t be caught on tape anyway, but we’ll think of something.”

“Sing the notes,” Lisa suggested. “As you sing them, I’ll try to find the right way to play them.”

And so she did. Louisa hummed the notes at first, but she soon warmed up to singing them. She had such a clear voice, Starshine had to remind Lisa to try to play the music. Fortunately, the harp guided her fingers to the right places and seemed to remember the melody all too well.

“Perfect,” Lisa declared once the final notes of the song had died away. “I’ll have to spend the rest of the day testing out whether or not this actually lets me ride on water, but I think it might surprise me. You already have.”

“I’ve surprised myself,” Louisa admitted, touching her throat. “I did sing in the choir in primary school for a year or two but I’ve never been able to sing like that before.”

“Magic,” Lisa decided with a shrug. “It has to be. Now, let’s go get that coffee.”

_“Is this a date?”_ Louisa asked Smokeeye on the way back down to Firgrove.

_“Of course it is,”_ Smokeeye replied with a snort. _“Are you dense or something?”_

_“No, just making sure it’s really happening. I’m actually going on a date, and that’s surprising enough, but with a girl who I like,”_ said Louisa, unable to stop grinning.

Louisa felt a whole lot safer now that she was back on solid ground once they reached Firgrove. The two girls left their horses outside the café, then took a seat at one of the tables.

“So, tell me about yourself,” said Lisa while they waited for their drinks. “What’s a country girl like you doing in a place like Jorvik? Wait, that didn’t make sense. I was trying to be smooth. Damn it.”

“It’s okay,” said Louisa with a giggle. “I wouldn’t know where to begin either. I came here to stay with my dad for a few days and then the road back home got blocked off so I had to stay there. And then I went to Moorland for one night and suddenly winter came and I couldn’t get back home. At least I can go back home with dad now.”

“And where is home for you usually?” Lisa asked. “If it’s beyond Old King’s Road you probably live somewhere near me.”

“It is but it’s not where you and the other girls come from,” said Louisa. “I’m from a tiny little town near it.”

“Hopefully you can go back home someday,” said Lisa.

“Yeah. Living with dad is great but I do miss home. Anyway, that’s starting to verge into overly-emotional territory so now it’s my turn to find out more about you. What’s it like being a rock star?”

“Not as glamourous as it looks,” said Lisa. “I love performing, and the energy of the crowds is awesome, but it’s exhausting. If I didn’t have self-healing powers, I probably wouldn’t have a voice after a few days of performing. What music are you into?”

“Electronica,” Louisa answered immediately. “And pop and some rock. Mostly Fall Out Boy. But I’m sure I’d love your music.”

“A lot of people probably tell you that your taste in music sucks,” said Lisa. “But I can respect my fellow musician. I don’t love some of their music but in the end we all have that same passion for music.”

“I never thought I’d meet someone like you,” Louisa admitted. “I didn’t even think that someone like you really existed. But here you are.”

“Yep, here I am. And on a date with you,” said Lisa with a smile. “You’re really cute, and you’re real. I like that.”

“Thanks,” said Louisa, ducking her head. “I’m kinda glad now that I got stuck on this side of Jorvik. I got to meet you, after all. And the other girls, but mostly you.”

“And I’m glad you met me. You helped save me from that awful place, and I just know that you’re gonna help us get Anne back. You’re not just a girl. You’re something special.” Lisa took both of Louisa’s hands in her own and held them. That little touch made it all real- she was here, on a date, with a girl whom she liked. And by some miracle, the feeling was mutual.

After their date (which Louisa was still having trouble believing had actually happened), the two went their separate ways. Louisa had odd jobs to do for people, while Lisa had to perfect her playing of the song and see if it really worked.

When Louisa met back up with her that afternoon, it was clear that the harp and the song did exactly what they were supposed to. Lisa stood on the form of her star symbol, holding the harp with her fingers resting lightly on the strings, and all on water.

“It works,” she announced happily. “It worked on the first try over at that little fishing bridge. You just have to stay on the rune so stay close to me and shine your fragment of Aideen’s light when you feel the tree’s power slipping.”

“Simple,” said Louisa with a laugh. She looked from the sheer size of Smokeeye to the seemingly-small circle on which Lisa and Starshine stood. Now really would have been a good time to be riding something with smaller hooves- like, say, Smallhoof. But Smokeeye had all but insisted upon coming, refusing to go anywhere near the stable.

“Come on, let’s make a miracle happen,” said Lisa, and smiled when Louisa stepped onto the star and pressed close to her. “Try to keep up with me, and don’t forget to shine your light.”

It took a few tries, and Louisa was drenched by the time they’d gotten across the bay, but finally they were on the sandy shore near the fishing village. Louisa could feel the power thrumming under Smokeeye’s hooves, connecting the Widow and the Scarecrow Hill tree.

“We did it,” she said, grinning. “I can hardly believe it, but we did it. We performed a miracle.”

“We sure did,” Lisa agreed. And then, still seated on Starshine, she pulled Louisa towards her and kissed her.

Louisa was so shocked that she almost forgot to try to kiss back. But she did, feeling her inexperience, and tried to ignore the fact that she smelled like the ocean. At least Lisa smelled nice.

“I’ve been wanting to do that since we were at the Widow,” said Lisa after she finally broke the kiss. “You know, salty lips are meant to be sexy.”

“They’re usually associated with martinis,” said Louisa, “not being salty from having a thorough drenching in the ocean.”

“Oh good, I didn’t leave you speechless,” said Lisa. “For a minute there, I thought I did.”

“I was just repeating what Smokeeye said,” Louisa admitted. “I’ll go home and change now. Meet you at the Widow later.”

“Oh yeah, we should probably see if we’ve done what she wanted us to do,” Lisa agreed. “I mean, I can feel that it worked but just so I know that my debt’s cleared.”

“Good choice,” said Louisa. She rode back home with a smile on her face and a burning that she felt should have dried her skin. But when she got home, she still had to have a quick shower to wash the salt water off.

Smokeeye, of course, had a chat to her as she washed her down outside the stables, and the other horses chipped in with their opinions.

“Finally,” said Skyborn, her Friesian Sport Horse, as she grinned at her from her stall. “About time you’ve finally got the girl.”

“Did you say you two went on a date this morning? How romantic,” said Smallhoof, her pony, with a happy nicker. 

“And traditional, too,” Goldmist chipped in. “Taking someone out for coffee is something that the kids these days do, isn’t it?”

“Goldy, I’ve had you since I came to Moorland, not for thousands of years,” Louisa reminded him. “You sound like an old timer.”

“I do not,” Goldmist snorted.

“Yes you do,” Lemoncake agreed. “Or you do when you say that, anyway.”

“Kids these days,” Iceknight repeated. He was a newer addition to the stable, and as such Louisa still hadn’t heard much from him. “Even Herman sounds more up-to-date than that.”

“Louisa, they’re all ganging up on me,” Goldmist complained. “Can’t you take me back with you to meet Lisa?”

“Sorry, Goldy, Smokeeye wants to see Starshine again,” Louisa said apologetically. “And I know that I haven’t taken you out for ages but I didn’t know that Sexy here would end up falling for my crush’s horse.”

“How could you not know?” Smallhoof asked. “She’s been gushing nonstop about him ever since you first took her into the Harvest Counties.”

“I have not,” Smokeeye retorted, scraping a hoof along the ground. “I just said that the horse wandering around Greendale looked like a unicorn or at least some kind of magical horse. And then I started to wonder why he was there.”

“Well I want Lisa to meet all of you someday, and my dad as well, so one day I’ll bring her here,” Louisa promised them. “But I’ve been talking for too long. Sexy, you’re clean enough now, let’s go.”

The Widow confirmed, much to Lisa’s relief, that the debt had been repaid. Louisa sidled closer to Lisa as the old tree talked about how happy she was to be part of the network again. When she was done talking and bid them farewell, the two of them rode back to the manor smiling.

Linda seemed happy to see them as more than just friends, and even Alex looked like she didn’t mind too much. Then again, she had given them her blessing the previous day. And Linda was right there beside her, ready to stop her if she tried to bolt.

There was just one problem- that of taking the harp back to the museum and leaving Alex there on her own.

“Oh come on guys, you can trust me not to do anything stupid while you’re gone,” said Alex when Linda voiced her concerns. “I was fine yesterday. I’ll just stay here at the manor. Maybe I’ll go talk to Agnetha or someone, I don’t know. Or annoy the workers at the oil fields or NorthLink.”

“No, we can’t trust you,” Lisa reminded her. “I can’t even trust you to train safely, and that’s just because you’re worried about your brother. For all I know, you’ll probably try to destroy the castle or something while we’re gone.”

“This will probably only create more problems but there are a few weird things in the Valley of the Hidden Dinosaur that you might want to check out,” Louisa offered. “Just wear warm clothing.”

“Weird how?” Alex asked.

“Oh, you know, just general weirdness. Like Icendell,” said Louisa. “Take Elizabeth with you. I’ll text her to let her know to expect you.”

“Alright,” Alex agreed. “I’ll go in there. Maybe I’ll even find some…” Her voice trailed off as the words caught in her throat, and instead she rode for Valedale.

Louisa really, really hoped that she hadn’t just made things worse.


End file.
